Monster Like You

Chapter 34

I was woken up by soft music and the smell of food, which made my empty stomach cramp. My head was buzzing, my whole body ached, as if I had been beaten pretty badly. But after falling from the seventh floor, it could have been worse.

Nathaniel wasn't around, but that didn't scare me. I knew he was sleeping a lot less. And I heard him walking behind the screen, doing something in the kitchen. Sitting up in bed, I looked around, clutching the blanket to my chest. I was looking for some clothes, but vaguely remembered that mine was still on the bathroom floor.

However, on the bed there was a simple but elegant dress and a set of underwear. Not mine, brand new, but the right size. I didn't know how to react to this: to be happy or embarrassed. I decided that I should just get dressed first. There were also shoes by the bed.

The surprises didn't end there. I was already used to the fact that Nathaniel was cooking something in the kitchen when I woke up, but this time I found that the kitchen counter was set for two like a table in a small but cozy restaurant: there were cutlery on light napkins, plates, a small vase with flowers and two wine glasses.

"You're finally awake," Nathaniel remarked, turning to me and putting two plates of snacks on the counter. He also got new clothes that looked much neater than his usual wardrobe.

"The music woke me up," I confessed, coming closer and looking around the contents of the plates with a dumbfounded look. "What is it?'

"Dinner," Nathaniel explained calmly, placing a bottle of wine next to the plates. "We have everything backwards with you: first joint breakfasts, then sex and only now dinner. Sorry, I had to turn on the music to wake you up. Otherwise, you could have overslept until tomorrow, and all this would have been gone. Have a seat."

Still not believing my eyes, I carefully climbed onto a high stool. While I was getting settled, Nathaniel put pieces of meat in some kind of sauce and baked vegetables on my plate, then put the same for himself.

"Did you prepare everything?" I asked incredulously when he sat down opposite and reached for the bottle.

"Who do you take me for?"

"You said that nothing is impossible for a person with two higher educations," I recalled with a smile.

Nathaniel laughed softly, pouring wine into glasses. And I tried to remember if I'd ever heard him laugh before.

"Of course, it doesn't take a lot of intelligence to fry meat, but in this case I preferred to order at a restaurant. You look wonderful," he added, raising his glass. "To you, Vet."

I cautiously touched my glass to him, but I was in no hurry to drink.

"Draco, what does all this mean?"

"Nothing, just dinner," he shrugged his shoulders. "We have to eat sometime."

"But wine? And this dress..."

"Why not? Your clothes are stained with my blood. And this wine was recommended to me for the main course."

"You don't even get drunk."

"That doesn't mean I can't enjoy the taste."

I wanted to say something else and continue the interrogation, but Nathaniel stopped me with a quick gesture.

"Please, let's just have dinner. Even though I didn't cook it, I still tried to make you feel good."

"That's what worries me," I muttered, but I started eating because I was really hungry.

We had a lot to talk about. Discuss what happened. Think over options for solving a new problem. Maybe even clarify the status of the relationship between us... But I couldn't bring myself to. It was a pleasant moment of respite. Almost the date I've always dreamed of, but which I didn't have with either the real Nathaniel or this one. We talked about wine, about food, and even about my dress, but not about the immediate problems. From time to time I caught Nathaniel looking at me thoughtfully, but he immediately lowered it into his plate or took it aside.